Manish Pandey, the flamboyant T20 batsman who was drafted as cover, has now been confirmed as replacement by the ICC for the injured Yuvraj Singh.

The right-hand batsman, scored a century in his last appearance for India, which helped India win the fifth and final One-Day International against Australia in Sydney.

Manish Pandey, who has played some stupendous knocks in the Indian Premiere League joined the Indian team in Mumbai on Monday.

The International Cricket Council confirmed that the Event Technical Committee had approved Manish Pandey to replace Yuvraj Singh.

Yuvraj, who sustained an ankle injury while setting off for a run against Australia at Mohali, went for an MRI scan soon after arriving in Mumbai with the rest of the team members. While MRI scans had ruled out a fracture or ligament tear, there was enough damage for him not to recover fully in time for the semifinal.

It remains to be seen if Manish Pandey is selected directly in the playing XI or Ajinkya Rahane makes the cut. Rahane has been travelling with the Indian T20 team since the Australia tour and is likely to be picked ahead of Manish Pandey.